Ford has decided that the deserts in the U.S. just aren’t quite hot enough, so they decided to take the 2011 Explorer over to Dubai for some off-road, hot-weather testing. The company released some pictures (and a cool video below) testing the SUV the 125-degree weather.

As Ford noted, the Dubai desert climate provided “an ideal environment to test and validate vehicle performance in some of the world’s most extreme conditions.”

Chief Engineer for Vehicle Engineering Don Ufford adds that testing the seven-seater Explorer in Dubai also allowed them to listen to what local customers have to say about it. “We regularly sell close to 10,000 Explorers per year in the Middle East market,” Ufford said. “SUV drivers in this part of the world regularly use the broad range of capabilities these vehicles offer. Our rationale for testing in Dubai is simple: If we can perform well here, we can do well anywhere.”